Asian Beat: Korean Tsunami Blockbuster Leaks Onto Internet

As if a tsunami in Korea weren't bad enough, now it's leaking onto the Internet! Fortunately, it's only a disaster of a cinematic kind; Haeundae, Korea's first-ever disaster movie, has been making waves (har har) at the box office since its release on July 22, selling more than 10 million tickets, which makes it the most popular local film of the year. Over the weekend, an illegal copy was "briefly" leaked across local peer-to-peer sites, according to JoongAng Daily, and distributor CJ Entertainment plans to request a police investigation this week.

This might sound like a case of 'too little, too late,' as far as the timing of the leak is concerned. After all, one of the reasons that the leaked copy of X-Men Origins: Wolverine caused such an uproar was that it happened more than a month in advance of its theatrical release. Most people want to see a movie before (or shortly after) it's released, not weeks later, don't they? Korean movie piracy is reportedly "rampant," though they don't seem to be in as big a rush as in other parts of the world. According to JoongAng Daily: "What makes this case different is the movies involved have usually finished their runs. Haeundae, though, is playing and ticket sales are growing."

CJ Entertainment, one of the heavyweight distributors in Korea, has already sold the film in 24 territories, including the United Sates, and doesn't want to jeopardize the profit potential, especially with an 800-pound gorilla in Roland Emmerich's 2012 waiting to take over the the disaster spotlight in November. Derek Elley of Variety called Haeundae (named after a beach in Busan) a "thoroughly entertaining, tightly cut slice of hokum." Sound familiar?